Amish Friendship Bread with Hazelnut & Cherry

Amish friendship bread is the original viral recipe of pre-internet America. The starter dough gets passed from neighbor to neighbor like a sourdough chain letter, multiplying as it goes. This loaded version takes the classic friendship bread base and folds in two cups each of toasted hazelnuts and dried cherries, turning the standard sweet loaf into something you’d happily pay for at a bakery.

The buttermilk-yeast-flour bubble starter at the beginning of the recipe is what gives friendship bread its distinctive tang and tender crumb. Letting the mixture sit for 10 minutes (until it just starts to bubble) is essential. The yeast wakes up, the buttermilk acid kicks in, and the resulting dough develops the slight sour note that distinguishes friendship bread from a basic sweet quick bread.

Folding in the hazelnuts and cherries only at the very end, just before dividing the dough into pans, prevents the heavy mix-ins from sinking to the bottom of each loaf.

Pro Tips

• Toast the hazelnuts in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10 minutes and rub off the bitter skins in a clean dishtowel before chopping, this dramatically deepens the nutty flavor
• Use Bing or sour Montmorency dried cherries, both work but give different flavor (sweet vs tart)
• Wipe (don’t grease heavily) the pans with vegetable oil, friendship bread releases more easily from a thinly oiled surface than one heavy with shortening
• Test for doneness with a toothpick at 50 minutes, the cherry pockets can give a false ‘wet’ reading. Look for clean crumb on the toothpick
• These loaves freeze beautifully wrapped tightly in foil, gift one and freeze three

Variations

• Swap hazelnuts for pecans or walnuts and dried cherries for dried cranberries for a fall-leaning version
• Add 1 teaspoon of cardamom along with the cinnamon for a Scandinavian flavor profile
• Drizzle cooled loaves with a thin glaze of powdered sugar and almond extract for a sweeter finish